Towing with a smaller truck

[Soundguy]

900$ swap? i'd put that into a toy hauler.

2 hour trip on a undersized tow vehicle ain't fun.

look at auto trader and craigslist. even if you have to drive out of state to get it... it may be worth it.

i looked for half a year to find my 350 and 450 glad i did. sold the 1500 when i got the real truck.... feel MUCH safer.... better braking.. more traction.. no shimmy.. the weight alone is a bonus when looking at stability.. anyway.. at least an option....

 

[JDgreen227]

Just an observation here...last time I was new truck shopping, my plans for the vehicle included medium and heavy towing and according to the trailering guides I read back in 2004 most half ton trucks with a manual transmission were rated much lower than the same vehicle with an automatic transmission. Not sure if that is the case today though.

Another word of advice...read my signature line about small trucks vs. big ones. My first tow rig for a 6500 pound travel trailer was a Ford F-150, it did the job but I wasn't comfortable with it. Upgraded to 3/4 ton Yukon XL to pull it and the peace of mind was well worth it.

 

[kenmac]

You can probably pull it ok Stopping is the issue. With trailer brakes on both axles you should have no problems. I hauled 7.5 tons of gravel in my dump trailer last week with my 2500 ram. It tows well. The sudden stops is what hurt

 

[RobertN]

I wondered at first too... But, to go as low of gear as OP wants, he would need gears, diff, and installation.

Average without diff that I have seen is $250 for R&R, $250 for ring and pinion. ~$400 for a dif sounds a bit pricy, but depends on what it is.

900$ swap? i'd put that into a toy hauler.

 

[Diamondpilot]

My last co pilot has a 07 Durango, basically the same setup as you. He pulls a 22' light weight camper, about 4000# and thats all she wants. Reconsider your plans.

Chris

 

[crbr]

Go to a reliable trailer dealer, they have the computer program that will tell you exactly what you have to have. I had the same dilemma with a Chevy Colorado, same class as your Dakota in towing my tractor at 4,000# and trailer at 1,000#, about where you are. They showed me the numbers. I bought a new 10K trailer at 1800# and a Dodge 350 dually truck. Now I feel safe. The other combo was scary. Can't afford it, maybe you need to assess what your life is worth and better, the other lives around you on the road.

Ron

The perfect answer to the OP's question.....

Consideration of other people's lives is the most important part....

.

 

[Renze]

Why regear the truck if you tow that trailer 5 times a year ? you could drive in 4th gear those few trips and enjoy the better fuel economy the rest of the year...

 

[Sysop]

Why regear the truck if you tow that trailer 5 times a year ? you could drive in 4th gear those few trips and enjoy the better fuel economy the rest of the year...

My thoughts are similar. All these worries of blown tires and loss of control are from people who apparently think the speed limit is how fast you are supposed to go rather than the maximum speed you should travel in the vehicles most capable of high speed travel. Common sense to me says if you're in a truck or something that doesn't handle as well, you slow down. Beyond that, if it's loaded you slow down more. At capacity NO vehicle should be traveling full freeway speeds... IMHO anyone who thinks they should be traveling at 70MPH in any truck loaded only to half capacity, quite simply has a death wish. There are too many variables and too few ways to find the flaws and causes of wrecks to simply go barreling down the road blindly at those speeds. It is simple physics that are absolute proof, and the numbers of wrecked work trucks in the salvage yards is a good indicator to those that can't understand physics. Trucks do not handle as well as cars, even unloaded, add a load and the handling gets worse... Slow down. People are mostly idiots, inspect and maintain regularly, don't drive like them, and you should be fine in your endeavor.

 

[Ken45101]

My thoughts are similar. All these worries of blown tires and loss of control are from people who apparently think the speed limit is how fast you are supposed to go rather than the maximum speed you should travel in the vehicles most capable of high speed travel. Common sense to me says if you're in a truck or something that doesn't handle as well, you slow down. Beyond that, if it's loaded you slow down more. At capacity NO vehicle should be traveling full freeway speeds... IMHO anyone who thinks they should be traveling at 70MPH in any truck loaded only to half capacity, quite simply has a death wish. ...... People are mostly idiots, inspect and maintain regularly, don't drive like them, and you should be fine in your endeavor.

So you think blowing an overloaded tire at 35mph is no big deal with an overloaded rig? Well you did say that "people are mostly idiots."

 

[Sysop]

I don't remember him wanting to be overweight, just pushing the highest capacity of what his truck can be setup to do. All things being properly maintained you should be able to run at the rated capacity, just not at full speed the way most folk attempt to do.

I don't think blowing a tire is good at any speed. But I do my best to never travel a road faster than I think I can have a wheel fly totally off and still maintain control enough to get it safely stopped. Anyone who does any less does indeed fall into the aforementioned category.